Trending
By Scott S. Franco
sfranco@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- In a game that featured the potential for so much explosive offense Friday night, it was a play on defense that turned the tide for the Johnstown Trojans football team.
With a five-point lead late in the game and Clearfield driving for what it would hope to be a winning score, Johnstown defensive back Theo Tinsley intercepted an Isaac Rumery pass with 2:14 to play, preserving a 26-21 victory in the District 6 4A title game at Tiger Stadium.
"We have fought so long, have had our heartbreaks with Clearfield in the past for so long that we told our kids no more tears tonight," said Johnstown coach Tony Penna, Jr., whose team won the district title last year. "Our kids did not quit. They played for 48 minutes and now they are 11-1."
Johnstown, which plays Jersey Shore next weekend in the first round of states, took a 26-21 lead with 4:47 to go in the game. After the defense forced a punt deep in Bison territory, the Trojans set up shop at the Clearfield 48. That was when West Virginia recruit Exree Loe got to show off his skills.
With his team behind 21-20, Loe caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Austin Barber in tight coverage while going out of bounds at the Bison 6. One play later, Bryce Gibson scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown on a handoff.
"It was a great football game," Clearfield coach Tim Janocko said. "(Loe) is an outstanding player who made some great plays, but I think our kids did, too. We made some great plays. It came down to one or two plays in the game that they made and we didn't."
Following the kickoff, Clearfield got the ball at its own 33 and got to the 50-yard line. However, on a fourth-and-eight play, Rumery, who had converted a fourth down earlier in the drive on a pass completion, was picked off by Tinsley to seal the Bison's fate. Two first downs later, the Trojans were in victory formation, ending Clearfield's season.
"We had something going there at the end, but we just overthrew the kid," Janocko said. "Our young quarterback played his tail off. I've got to give him credit because he was under a lot of pressure. He is only going to get better. We did everything we wanted to do tonight except we didn't win."
Johnstown had to survive a game in which it blew a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
"Our kids are so mentally tough …. they inspire me with their mental toughness," Penna Jr. said. "We get knocked down but we keep getting up. We have great senior leaders."
Johnstown looked as if it would cruise to its crown early on, thanks to the two-touchdown advantage. Tinsley caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Barber, and then a 16-yard touchdown run by Barber at the 3:37 mark followed. Mike Marino hit both PAT kicks.
"You have to adjust to their speed and once we did, we were OK," Janocko said.
Clearfield tied it up with two second-quarter touchdowns. Seth Caldwell scored on a 1-yard run, and later, Rumery hit Micah Heichel with a 15-yard touchdown pass at the 2:32 mark. Josh Serena's second PAT knotted it at 14.
"Clearfield is such a great ballclub. You hope that (early lead) is going to happen. You can script it out and hope it happens, but you do not expect it," Penna Jr. said. "At halftime, we told them that it's a ballgame now. It was 14-14 so let's go out and finish."
Loe, who totaled six catches for 104 yards, used a 57-yard punt return to help Johnstown take a 20-14 lead in the third quarter. His 7-yard scoring reception from Barber at the 8:39 mark put his club on top.
"He has a knack for making big plays this time of the year and you saw that tonight," Penna Jr. said.
Clearfield went on a 14-play, 59-yard drive that ended in a 14-yard touchdown run by Caldwell. The Serena PAT kick made it 21-20 at the 2:26 mark of the third quarter.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Clearfield 0 14 7 0 -- 21
Johnstown 14 0 6 6 -- 26
First quarter
J--Tinsley 23 pass from Barber (Marino kick), 9:15
J--Barber 16 run (Marino kick), 3:37
Second quarter
C--Caldwell 1 run (Serena kick), 10:30
C--Heichel 15 pass from Rumery pass (Serena kick), 2:32
Third quarter
J--Loe 8 pass from Barber (kick faile), 8:39
C--Caldwell 14 run (Serena kick), 2:26
Fourth quarter
J--Gibson 6 run (run failed), 4:47
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Clearfield--Caldwell 21-72, Rumery 14-11, Bender 1-6, Glass 1-2, Lezzer 1-6. Johnstown--Loe 1-5, Gibson 18-57, Barber 9-29, Mains 1-(-1), TEAM 2-(-2).
PASSING: Clearfield--Rumery 12-25-2-110. Johnstown -- Barber 11-16-1-236, Loe 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: Clearfield--Lezzer 4-38, Heichel 3-47, McGonigal 4-18, Caldwell 1-7. Johnstown--Loe 6-104, Brehm 1-12, Tinsley 2-62, Mains 2-48.
INTERCEPTIONS: Clearfield--Lynch. Johnstown--Gibson, Tinsley.
TEAM STATISTICS C J
First downs 13 13
Rushes-yards 38-97 31-83
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 12-25-2 11-17-1
Yards passing 110 236
Total yards 207 319
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 4-21 6-64
Punts-avg. 4-48.2 3-52.3